[legendsport]

Alright, so I figured "enough screwing around. This time I'm going to do it right."

The basic idea is this: a Time Warp/PBRL-type league of fictional players in a historical setting.

Like those aforementioned classics and also my own Completely Fictional History of Baseball, readers will be able to contribute players, but I'll only be taking names and possibly positions with "general" notes on ability that may (or may not) be able to be incorporated.

Unlike TWB and PBRL, The Baseball Chronicle will begin in 1871. Here's where the fun part comes in. Because I've had a ton of troubles getting this to work to my satisfaction in OOTP 8, I'm going to use 6.5 even though I know I've got some serious workarounds in front of me to get the leagues straight.

I've done major testing and re-run seasons over and over again. I've hand-edited the Catobase to remove the divisions I have to use when a league has over 10 teams (as the NA did in 1872).

I've run tests to make sure the methodology I dreamt up to get the UA and PL to work correctly (as well as going from the single league NL to a two league NL/AA setup - and then back to single league NL - then to two league NL/AL works). Sound complicated? It is. But I want to get to 1901 with all the players having stats, full Catobase and then take this thing into an online league.

Here's the website: The Baseball Chronicle

Signups are welcome. Originally I was not going to take team requests, but have changed my mind. No one's going to get their hands on these teams for another 20 seasons or so anyway, therefore it doesn't really matter - you could be taking a cellar dwellar just as easily as a defending champion.

I will create a second thread for player creation as well. With a couple seasons already played, I probably won't introduce reader-created players til 1876.

We'll likely go "live" for the 1892 season, so the first twelve signups will get a nine-season headstart on the last four.

EDIT: We are now live as an online league and are using OOTP 9. There just aren't enough 6.5 users around any more....

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS

Team 		W 	L 	WPct 	GB
Boston 		22 	9 	.710 	--
Cleveland 	19 	10 	.655 	2
Philadelphia 	18 	10 	.643 	2.5
Chicago 	16 	12 	.571 	4.5
Rockford 	11 	14 	.440 	8
Washington 	14 	18 	.438 	8.5
New York 	14 	19 	.424 	9
Troy 		8 	21 	.276 	13
Fort Wayne 	5 	14 	.263 	11

*NOTE: All seasons will play using the real-life as-played schedule of that season.

RECAP:

Under the leadership of Harold Leinster, the Boston Red Stockings captured the inaugural National Association pennant and a claim as the World's Champions of Base Ball. The Red Stocking Club compiled 22 wins against 9 defeats, three more than their nearest competitors (Cleveland). On the field, the Bostonians were led by the outfielding trio of Tim Nice, Doug Beatty and Thomas Lovelace with 30-year-old hurler Jeff Rainwater providing fine pitching. The Bostons managed to avoid losing consecutive contests until the leaves had begun to fall - it wasn't until a three-game skein in late September, after they had sewn up the championship, that the Bostons let down.

LEADERS:
Batting Average:
John Gorman, New York Mutuals, .463

Runs Scored:
Chris Scheer, Washington Olympics: 40

Hits:
John Gorman, New York Mutuals, 56

Wins:
Jeff Rainwater, Boston Red Stockings, 22

Innings:
Jeff Rainwater, Boston Red Stockings, 275.3


AWARDS:
Batter of the Year:
Brain McGuire, Washington Olympics, .434 average, 30 runs, 9 doubles, 33 RBI

Pitcher of the Year:
Jeff Rainwater, Boston Red Stockings, 22-9 record, 275.3 innings, 104 earned runs allowed

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS

Team 		W 	L 	WPct 	GB
Brooklyn 	29 	8 	.784 	--
Middletown 	17 	7 	.708 	12.5
Washington 	6 	3 	.667 	26
Brooklyn 	18 	11 	.621 	9.5
Boston 		26 	22 	.542 	4
Baltimore 	28 	30 	.483 	10
Cleveland 	10 	12 	.455 	17
Troy 		10 	15 	.400 	15.5
New York 	21 	35 	.375 	5.5
Philadelphia 	16 	31 	.340 	1.5
Washington 	2 	9 	.182 	27

*NOTE: All seasons will play using the real-life as-played schedule of that season.

RECAP:

The membership of the National Association was shuffled as some clubs found that they could not compete with the big-city clubs such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia, while Chicago was forced to cede its membership due to the massive fire which raged in the city in October 1871. Gone were Rockford, Ft. Wayne and Chicago while five new members signed on, including the 1872 champions-to-be: the Brooklyn Atlantics.

The Atlantics raced away with the pennant, winning 29 ballgames against just 8 defeats. Naysayers would point out that the Atlantics took an "easy" schedule, playing just 37 Association contests against the nearly 60 played by several other clubs. Atlantic supporters would counter that their club would simply have run up a more impressive victory total had they played more contests. Brooklyn featured several star players such as catcher Steve Columbus (.400 batting average) and first-sacker Tom Fowler (.398). The pitching was ably handled by Ray Hayden, with Jerry Wilson pitching occasionally.

LEADERS:
Batting Average:
Stephen Ogden, Baltimore Canaries, .419

Runs Scored:
Jim Gordon, Baltimore Canaries, 38

Hits:
Jim Gordon, Baltimore Canaries, 86

Wins:
Tim Urban, Baltimore Canaries, 28

Innings:
Tim Urban, Baltimore Canaries, 518.3


AWARDS:
Batter of the Year:
Tim Fowler, Brooklyn Atlantics, .398 average, 28 runs, 19 RBI

Pitcher of the Year:
Tim Urban, Baltimore Canaries, 28-30 record, 518.3 innings, 200 earned runs allowed

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

Team            W       L       WPct    GB
Baltimore       35      22      .614    --
Boston          34      26      .567    2.5
Philadelphia    29      24      .547    4
Baltimore       3       3       .500    6.5
Washington      19      20      .487    7
Philadelphia    25      27      .481    7.5
Brooklyn        26      29      .473    8
New York        21      32      .396    12
Elizabeth       7       16      .304    11

RECAP:
Harold Leinster's Red Stockings were supposed to run away with the pennant in '73 but someone forgot to tell the Canaries of Baltimore. Jim Gordon's lads won 35 of 57 contests, one more than the Beantowners and have lain claim to the World's Championship. And unlike Leinster, who runs his club from the sidelines, Gordon is a captain in the true sense of the word - he plays the game while running his nine. Gordon also earned Batsman of the Year honors for a season in which he clubbed at a .398 clip, scoring 40 runs and driving 44 of his mates to home base. Baltimore chucker Pat Manke was named Pitcher of the Year for his campaign which saw him throw every inning of every game for the Canary club.

LEADERS:
Batting Average:
George Caylor, Washington Blue Legs, .419

Runs Scored:
Timothy Red, Baltimore Canaries, 55

Hits:
Jim Gordon, Baltimore Canaries, 102


Wins:
Pat Manke, Baltimore Canaries, 35

Innings:
Pat Manke, Baltimore Canaries, 516.7


AWARDS:
Batter of the Year:
Jim Gordon, Baltimore Canaries, .398 average, 40 runs, 44 RBI

Pitcher of the Year:
Pat Manke, Baltimore Canaries, 35-22 record, 516.7 innings, 209 earned runs allowed

[legendsport]

My site is currently down. Talk about great timing.... I have a support ticket open and hopefully it'll get squared away soon. I will edit this post when it's back up.

and.... it's back up.

[Vris]

That is a hell of a lot of innings.

[rocknfire7]

Originally Posted by Vris

That is a hell of a lot of innings.

but........it was only in 57 games...

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by rocknfire7

but........it was only in 57 games...

Yep... and the real-life innings leader in 1873 was Al Spalding, who tossed a "mere" 497.7, so it's close. Apparently compared to Pat Manke, Spalding was a wuss.

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

Team             W 	 L    WPct 	GB
Boston          38      33    .535 	2
Chicago         33      26    .559 	1
New York        33      32    .508 	4
Brooklyn        30      26    .536 	2.5
Phil. Whites    29      29    .500 	4.5
Baltimore       28      19    .596 	--
Phil. Athletics 21      34    .382 	11
Hartford        20      33    .377 	11

* - Boston is recognized champion by virtue of most victories in league play.

RECAP:

The National Association pennant race was tight in 1874 with four teams in strong contention for the championship, eventually awarded to the Boston club for its 38 victories. George Caylor was the top batsman in the league, recording a .400 batting average for the Boston Red Stockings, following a strong .419 mark in 1873. In three years of Association play, Caylor has a .396 average, second only to Ralph Eanes' .397 in Association history. The Bostonian's pitching was also - as usual - sterling. Jeff Rainwater continues to be the most consistently strong pitcher in the Association. This year, Rainwater pitched 65 games, racking up 596.7 innings - a new record. Other outstanding performers included the aforementioned Ralph Eanes, another Boston standout, who hit .390 - the worst mark of his career - but has still recorded the highest career average (.397) and more hits than any other batsman in history.

LEADERS:

Batting Average
Caylor  BS1 .400
Norman  NY2 .395
Eanes   BS1 .390
Aiken   CH2 .380
Koopman BS1 .375

Runs
Lister  BS1 67
Caylor  BS1 58
Koopman BS1 51
Allen   BR2 49
Nevins  CH2 47

Wins
Rainwater  BS1 35
Huddleston CH2 31
Manke      BL1 28
Hanner     PH2 26
Rose       NY2 24

Innings Pitched
Rainwater  BS1 596.7
Revis      PH1 503.3
Huddleston CH2 491.0
Hanner     PH2 477.7
Rose       NY2 465.7

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: George Caylor, Boston Red Stockings, .400 average, 58 runs, 53 RBI, 6 doubles, 5 triples, 1 HR.

Pitcher of the Year: Jeff Rainwater, Boston Red Stockings, 35-30 record, 65 games, 596.7 innings, 163 earned runs.

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
   
Boston           49  33 .598    --  .292  3.04 
Philadelphia A   44  33 .571   2.5  .273  2.64 
Hartford         41  45 .477   8.0  .285  2.74
St. Louis B      40  30 .571   3.0  .273  2.28 
Chicago          39  30 .565   3.5  .295  3.08 
Philadelphia W   33  37 .471  10.0  .271  3.04 
New York         32  39 .451  11.5  .256  2.57 
New Haven        22  25 .468   9.5  .244  2.53 
Brooklyn         19  25 .432  11.0  .263  3.71 
Washington        9  19 .321  13.0  .224  2.50
Philadelphia C    6   8 .429   9.0  .224  1.33
St. Louis R       6  13 .316  11.5  .194  3.54
Keokuk            5   8 .385   9.5  .241  2.27

RECAP:

The National Association struggled through one final season before giving up the ghost in the winter of 1875-76 when plans for a new "league" of professional clubs, rather than an association of players, was announced. But before the winter, the Association had another wild & crazy season, with the Boston Red Stockings cementing their place as the Association's most successful club behind a 49-win season to capture another title.

The Red Stockings were led again by the strong batting of George Caylor and Ralph Eanes. Caylor hit .356 with 61 runs scored but was upstaged by Eanes, who has emerged as the best hitter in the game. Eanes recorded a .371 average and scored 70 runs while 64 of his team mates came home on his hits. The ever durable Jeff Rainwater held down the pitching chores again and made 72 of the team's 82 games, with Ben Patton tossing the balance. Rainwater won 44 games against 28 losses and amassed 644.7 innings.

Alas, the club was broken up in the aftermath of the formation of the National League. Eanes led a core group of players to Chicago where he will captain the remade White Stockings in 1876. Along with .389 lifetime average, Eanes brought Caylor and keystone Carl Koopman to Chicago with him, making the White Stockings the presumptive champions for the first season of the "National League."

LEADERS:

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.383 Dave Kane - Hartford
.378 Travis Pearson - Phila. Athletics
.371 Ralph Eanes - Boston
.362 Marty Teets - Hartford
.356 George Caylor - Boston

TOP 5 in RUNS SCORED:
70 Keith Lister - Boston
67 Carl Koopman - Boston
61 George Caylor - Boston
57 Leon Lister - Phila. Athletics
56 Dave Kane - Hartford

TOP 5 in HITS:
130 Dave Kane - Hartford
126 George Caylor - Boston
125 Ralph Eanes - Boston
123 Travis Pearson - Phila. Athletics
120 Nick Wagner - Hartford

TOP 5 in WINS:
44 Jeff Rainwater - Boston
44 Mark Revis - Phila. Athletics
37 Arthur Huddleston - Chicago
35 Pat Manke - St. Louis
33 Ken Hanner - Phila. Whites

TOP 5 in INNINGS:
689.3 Mark Revis - Phila. Athletics
644.7 Jeff Rainwater - Boston
607.7 Ken Hanner - Phila. Whites
573.3 Pat Manke - St. Louis
559.0 Arthur Huddleston - Chicago

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: Ralph Eanes, Boston Red Stockings, .371 average, 125 hits, 64 RBI
Pitcher of the Year: Mark Revis, Philadelphia Athletics, 44-33 record, 689.3 innings, 202 earned runs allowed.

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS

National League Standings :
(Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA)
Chicago          46  20 .697    --  .311  2.36 
Philadelphia     39  21 .650     4  .293  2.49 
New York         34  23 .596   7.5  .312  2.42 
Louisville       34  35 .493  13.5  .260  3.29 
Boston           33  37 .471    15  .268  2.85 
St. Louis        26  38 .406    19  .263  3.05 
Hartford         26  43 .377  21.5  .280  3.50 
Cincinnati       22  43 .338  23.5  .239  2.88

RECAP:
The 1876 season saw the debut of the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, replacing the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players which had proven too disorganized to succeed. Under the League, the clubs reigned supreme and central authority - in theory at least - rested with the League itself. This central ideal would be tested at the end of the season, when the New York and Philadelphia clubs, losing money, decided not to make their final road trips... and were expelled from the League.

But before that came to pass, the 1876 season itself was a resounding success. Things got off to a rocky start when the heart of the Association's Boston club followed team mate Ralph Eanes to Chicago to sign on with the League's White Stocking club. The transplants proved wildly successful in their new locale, as the White Stockings were clearly the class of the League, winning 46 games to claim the initial National League pennant. Eanes was in the middle of things, with a .383 average. Other key contributors were fellow Boston expatriate (.331) and Washington refugee Travis Pearson, who led the club with a .399 average. A pair of newcomers: catcher Roger "Tobacky" Leaf and pitcher Howard Bloomer were also key cogs in the Chicago machine.

LEADERS
TOP 5 in BATTING AVERAGE:
.399 Travis Pearson( CHN)
.396 Ron Catlin( NY3)
.387 Jake Noble( NY3)
.387 Steve Columbus( PHN)
.384 Henry MacPherson( PHN)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
4 Joe Poon( BSN)
3 Glenn Felty( HAR)
2 Paddy McKeehan( LS1)
2 Carey Edgerton( LS1)
1 Nick Wagner( HAR)

TOP 5 in RBI :
53 Henry MacPherson( PHN)
49 Travis Pearson( CHN)
46 Ralph Eanes( CHN)
41 Joe Poon( BSN)
40 Tim Peterson( CHN)

TOP 5 in ERA :
1.58 Pat Manke( SL3)
1.60 Howard Bloomer( CHN)
2.10 Johnny Hartman( PHN)
2.12 Rich Deem( BSN)
2.17 Jim Smothers( NY3)

TOP 5 in WINS :
27 Johnny Hartman( PHN)
21 Howard Bloomer( CHN)
21 Ken Hanner( LS1)
19 Pat Manke( SL3)
18 Jeff Rainwater( NY3)

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: Travis Pearson, Chicago White Stockings, .399 average, 49 RBI
Pitcher of the Year: Johnny Hartman, Philadelphia Athletics, 27-7 record, 2.10 ERA, 321.3 innings

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

National League Standings :
Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
Chicago          41  19 .683    --  .319  2.74 
Louisville       33  27 .550     8  .287  3.35 
Boston           31  29 .517    10  .298  3.55 
Hartford         25  35 .417    16  .285  4.55 
St. Louis        25  35 .417    16  .282  4.01 
Cincinnati       24  34 .414    16  .263  3.27

RECAP:
The second season of the National League's existence saw an even greater threat emerge than the challenge to the league's authority by two of its strongest clubs in 1876 had been. While the League managed to weather the storm raised by expelling the two member clubs representing the largest cities in the country, can it withstand the revelations late in the 1877 season that one of the league's better teams, the Louisville club, had been "throwing" games?

The season itself played out as expected - Chicago, again clearly the best team in the circuit, won the League pennant just as it had in 1876. The runners-up were Louisville, a strong team that may have given the White Stockings a run for their money had it not been for the shady doings of several key members of the club. It was announced after the season had concluded that pitcher Johnny Hartman, short stop Arnold Miller and second baseman Carey Edgerton were being expelled from the League for life. The loss of these three key players, plus the disgrace incumbent upon a club whose players had been compromised by gambling elements, resulted in the folding of the Louisville club. This was soon followed by the announcement that both Hartford and St. Louis, citing financial difficulties, would also fold up their operations, leaving the League with just three clubs as it planned for 1878.

The Louisville shenanigans aside, 1877 provided plenty of base ball excitement. The White Stockings were led again by their triumvirate of stars. Howard Bloomer "bloomed" in his second season, winning 41 games as he threw every one of the White Stockings' 548 innings. He also posted a 2.74 earned run average and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year. Travis Pearson copped Batter of the Year for the second straight season, hitting .427 to lead the League. And Ralph Eanes hit .341 - down from his usual standards - but still a solid season from the 33-year-old veteran who also managed the club.

As 1878 approached, the League's President announced that three new clubs would be joining the National League: Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Providence. This brings the membership back up to six clubs. The applications by both New York and Philadelphia, each expelled after the 1876 season, were denied.

LEADERS:
TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.427 Travis Pearson(CHN)
.408 Arnold Miller(LS1)
.388 Henry MacPherson( CN1)
.373 Joe Poon(BSN)
.370 Nick Wagner(HAR)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
3 Cecil Everette(CN1)
2 Cordell Bean(HAR)
2 Hick Rogers(CHN)
1 Walker Weaver(BSN)
1 Emerson Colbert(SL3)

TOP 5 in RBI :
55 Travis Pearson(CHN)
50 Tim Peterson(CHN)
49 Nick Wagner(HAR)
46 Hick Rogers(CHN)
45 Glenn Felty(HAR)

TOP 5 in ERA :
2.74 Howard Bloomer(CHN)
3.27 Edmund Madison(CN1)
3.35 Johnny Hartman( LS1)
3.55 Rich Deem(BSN)
4.01 Pat Manke(SL3)

5 TOP 5 in WINS :
3 41 Howard Bloomer(CHN)
3 33 Johnny Hartman( LS1)
3 31 Rich Deem(BSN)
3 25 Pat Manke(SL3)
3 24 Edmund Madison(CN1)

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: Travis Pearson, Chicago White Stockings, .427 average, 55 runs batted in

Pitcher of the Year: Howard Bloomer, Chicago White Stockings, 41-19 record, 2.74 ERA, 578 innings

Rookie of the Year: Winfield Jessup, Cincinnati Red Legs, .280 average, 18 runs batted in


CREATED PLAYER UPDATE:
John "The Mighty" Casey, 1B, Boston Red Stockings. Casey had an extremely modest stat line for 1877 as the 17-year-old did not appear in the regular lineup for Boston. He appeared in a mere 5 games, had three at-bats without a hit, but did score the first run of his career as a pinch-runner. It is expected that Jess Beale, the Boston first base man, may end his career, opening up a spot for Casey in the line up.

CHECK OUT THE BASEBALL CHRONICLE WEBSITE FOR HTML REPORTS, CATOBASE AND MORE!

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

National League Standings :
Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
Boston           38  22 .633    --  .286  2.58 
Providence       34  26 .567     4  .264  2.34 
Indianapolis     31  29 .517     7  .255  2.59 
Chicago          27  33 .450    11  .274  3.37 
Cincinnati       26  34 .433    12  .255  2.70 
Milwaukee        24  36 .400    14  .263  2.94

RECAP:
The 1879 campaign was another uneasy one for the National League as it sought to cement its place as the top circuit for professional base ball in America. The addition of three new clubs - Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Providence saw two of those clubs become dismal failures. Milwaukee was not competitive on the field and bled red ink. The Indianapolis club, while competitive, could not balance its books either. Both folded at the conclusion of the season. Only the Providence club was successful - both on the field and, surprisingly, at the box office.

The Providence Grays gave the eventual champion Boston club a run for their money, winning 34 games with steady play. Proven veteran Pat Manke gave the Grays a core to build around. If the club had been able to field a competent center fielder, they may have won the pennant. But the fans who regularly packed Messer Street Grounds gave the Providence club a boost as it headed into its 1879 sophomore campaign.

The Boston Red Stockings earned their championship stripes with outstanding play in all facets of the game. Veterans like Joe Poon were joined by young up-and-comers such as Walker "Plug Ugly" Weaver and John "The Mighty" Casey to give the Bostonians a potent lineup. Leinster's lineup featured only one weakness - at the keystone where veteran Leon Lister managed a mere .229 average and, at age 35, appears too old to continue to play. His "younger" brother, the 34-year-old Keith Lister, recorded a .349 average, so he seems to be maintaining his status as one of base ball's best batsmen. The pitching was ably provided by Rich Deem, who posted a 2.58 ERA and won Pitcher of the Year honors.


LEADERS:
TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.381 Garret Nevins( ML2)
.380 Ralph Eanes(CHN)
.372 Ron Catlin( PRO)
.368 Joe Poon(BSN)
.365 Chris Morris( ML2)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
3 George Holloway( IN1)
2 Ralph Eanes(CHN)
2 Glenn Felty( IN1)
2 Walker Weaver(BSN)
2 Cecil Everette(CN1)

TOP 5 in RBI :
46 Jack Cogburn( PRO)
41 Hick Rogers(CHN)
40 Glenn Felty( IN1)
38 Ralph Eanes(CHN)
37 Roger Leaf(CHN)

TOP 5 in ERA :
2.34 Pat Manke( PRO)
2.58 Rich Deem(BSN)
2.59 Glenn Wynn( IN1)
2.70 Edmund Madison(CN1)
2.94 Russell Diamond( ML2)

TOP 5 in WINS :
38 Rich Deem(BSN)
34 Pat Manke( PRO)
31 Glenn Wynn( IN1)
27 Curt Newsom(CHN)
26 Edmund Madison(CN1)

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: Joe Poon, Boston Red Stockings, .368 average, 31 RBI
Pitcher of the Year: Rich Deem, Boston Red Stockings, 38-22 record, 2.58 ERA, 534 innings, 198 strikeouts

CREATED PLAYER UPDATE:
John "The Mighty" Casey at a mere 18 years of age, took over the 1B job for the eventual champion Boston club. He hit a respectable .260 and led his club with 13 doubles.

Tommy Bernard played for the Providence Grays and held his own with a .280 average while ably fielding his position at second base.

"Black Jack" McKinley earned a starting role in right field for the Providence Grays and was the club's second-best hitter with a .344 average, driving in 26 runs.

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

National League Standings :
Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
Boston           68  15 .819    --  .326  2.35 
Chicago          42  40 .512  25.5  .301  4.16 
Cincinnati       40  39 .506    26  .250  3.51 
Providence       42  41 .506    26  .294  3.79 
Syracuse         31  38 .449    30  .254  3.08 
Buffalo          35  44 .443    31  .284  4.09 
Cleveland        34  48 .415  33.5  .248  3.57 
Troy             24  51 .320    40  .227  3.86

RECAP:
Ever since expelling the New York and Philadelphia clubs for failing to finish their schedules after the 1876 season, the League had muddled through several seasons with six clubs. After 1878 saw both first-year teams Milwaukee and Indianapolis bail out, the League decided to add four clubs to round back out to eight.

Naturally New York and Philadelphia applied, and just as naturally, their applications were denied. So long as League President Walter Humber lived, neither club would get back into "his league." Humber found four other suitors and although they were marginal in terms of population, they were game and looked promising. The four new recruits were the Troy Trojans, Cleveland Blues, Syracuse Stars and Buffalo Bisons. None of them was able to compete with the four holdover clubs from 1878, which finished in the top four slots, led by Boston, which dismantled all opposition to the tune of 68 victories in 83 contests.

Syracuse didn't even make it through the entire schedule. Faced with a league rule stipulating 50 cent admission prices, which its citizens could not - or would not - afford, the Stars went belly-up after 69 games (having won a respectable 31 of them). Troy was in a similar situation - both cities were far smaller than their League brethren - and neither was particularly affluent. But the Trojans completed the season and swore to return in 1880.

On the field the aforemention Boston juggernaut was led by the sterling pitcher of Rich Deem. Deem had emerged as the best pitcher in base ball, and his 56 victories against a mere 8 defeats established a standard not likely to be exceeded. More and more teams were employing a second pitcher to give their iron-armed aces a breather now and then. Deem's second, a spindly fellow named Harlan Beesley, was a respectable 12-7, but nowhere near as dominant as Deem. Hence, Deem's 64 starting appearances, also a new record.

The Boston bats were potent as well, ringing up a team batting average of .326, easily the best in the circuit. The Bostons were led by Keith Lister's .412 average (the league's best mark) with Garret Nevins (.398), Joe Poon (.352) and Willis Gaylord (.346) also all having great seasons with the bat.


LEADERS:
TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.412 Keith Lister(BSN)
.398 Garret Nevins( BSN)
.374 Chris Morris( BFN)
.370 Hick Rogers(CHN)
.363 Don Boyles( CHN)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
4 Rick Morrison( CL2)
2 Henry MacPherson(CN1)
2 Chris Morris( BFN)
2 Carl Koopman(CHN)
2 Jack Cogburn(PRO)

TOP 5 in RBI :
74 Keith Lister(BSN)
73 Walker Weaver(BSN)
72 Garret Nevins( BSN)
71 John Casey(BSN)
70 J.P. Cayden(CHN)

TOP 5 in ERA :
1.88 Rich Deem(BSN)
2.84 Donald Persaud( SR1)
3.35 Jonathan Montgomery( CL2)
3.43 Edmund Madison(CN1)
3.48 Charlie McCarver( SR1)

TOP 5 in WINS :
56 Rich Deem(BSN)
34 Russell Diamond( PRO)
33 Edmund Madison(CN1)
24 Curt Newsom(CHN)
22 Thomas Goss( BFN)

AWARDS:
Batter of the Year: Keith Lister, Boston Red Stockings, .412 average, 74 RBI
Pitcher of the Year: Rich Deem, Boston Red Stockings, 56-8 record, 1.88 ERA, 589.3 innings, 324 strikeouts

CREATED PLAYER NOTES:
John "The Mighty" Casey was once again the first baseman on the powerful Boston club. Casey improved over his 1878 campaign, this time hitting .304 with a team-leading 42 doubles (second in the NL).

Providence's Tommy Bernard had a good season, hitting .324 with 18 doubles and 5 triples.

"Black Jack" McKinley fell off his strong pace of 1878, managing a solid .312 average (he hit .344 the year before) with 26 doubles and a pair of triples.

Catcher Shane "Heckuva" Day made his pro debut in 1879 with the Cincinnati Red Legs. Not quite ready to start on a daily basis, Day did contribute in spot action, hitting .313 in 48 at-bats. Following the season, Day left the Red Legs in search of a starting role for another club.

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FINAL STANDINGS:

5  National League Standings :
Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
Boston           53  31 .631    --  .294  2.60 
Providence       52  32 .619     1  .270  2.50 
Cincinnati       47  33 .587     4  .229  2.66 
Buffalo          47  35 .573     5  .284  3.06 
Chicago          45  39 .536     8  .263  3.03 
Cleveland        36  48 .429    17  .234  2.83 
Worcester        32  51 .386  20.5  .243  3.88 
Troy             20  63 .241  32.5  .209  3.85

RECAP:
In 1880, a change began to be felt throughout the National League. The pitchers were gradually assuming control of the game. In the past, both the rules and style of play suited batters, who posted high batting averages in games in which each team sometimes averaged 8 or 10 runs.

Gradually the pitchers began to swing things in their favor. Though the rules required underarm pitching, the wily hurlers slowly inched their arm angles up, slinging it sidearm and learning to throw breaking pitches in addition to changing speeds. The master of the change of speed, Boston's immortal Rich Deem, had a somewhat (for him) subpar season in 1880 as he was not able to master a breaking pitch. Following the season, he announced he was giving up pitching to go full-time into business. The business? Base ball. Rich Deem bought into the League as the owner of the league's newest entry, the Detroit Wolverine Club.

The opening, so quickly filled by Detroit, came at the expense of Cincinnati. Professional base ball's first city, the Queen City was full of German immigrants and breweries, and this set up a clash with the League's stricture against selling alcohol at games. The Red Legs were found to be selling beer to their primarily German-American customers, and were expelled by the League following the 1880 season - a season which saw them compete strongly and finish third. This did not sit well with the fine people of Cincinnati, but nevertheless, they were out of pro base ball... for now.

On the field, the Boston Red Stockings won again, but this time they were not the clearly dominant club with several others - particularly Providence - proving they were gaining on the League's hoary veterans. Boston's hitters were the class of the League and were the main reason the Red Stockings held on for their third straight pennant. With pitcher Deem not as dominant as he had been, it was lucky for Leinster's men that the lineup was packed with potent batsmen. With the familiar names of Lister, Poon and Weaver leading the way, new and younger stars such as John Casey and Gary Vankirk began to assert their skills and the club posted a .294 aggregate average, forty points better than the league average.

But even as Leinster and his men celebrated their third straight title, the large and looming question of who would replace Deem seemed to make a fourth consecutive championship unlikely.

LEADERS:

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.357 Hick Rogers(CHN)
.324 Chris Morris(BFN)
.323 Garret Nevins(BSN)
.319 Rick Morrison(CL2)
.318 Will Wessels(BFN)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
3 Hiram Johnson( CL2)
3 Fred Guthrie(CL2)
3 Rick Morrison(CL2)
3 Cap White(BFN)
2 Tommy Bernard(PRO)

TOP 5 in RBI :
62 Jack Cogburn(PRO)
56 Roger Leaf( BFN)
54 Cap White(BFN)
53 Emerson Colbert(BFN)
52 Keith Lister(BSN)

TOP 5 in ERA :
1.82 Donald Persaud( CL2)
2.47 Jim Durr( PRO)
2.47 Rich Deem(BSN)
2.48 Edmund Madison(CN1)
2.48 Bill McAnderson(BFN)

TOP 5 in WINS :
42 Rich Deem(BSN)
40 Bill Silvers( CHN)
40 Jim Durr( PRO)
38 Edmund Madison(CN1)
33 Thomas Goss(BFN)

AWARDS:
Best Batter Award: Hick Rogers, Chicago White Stockings, .357 average, 39 RBI
Best Pitcher Award: Rich Deem, Boston Red Stockings, 42-21 record, 2.47 ERA, 560 innings, 318 strikeouts

CREATED PLAYER NOTES:
John "The Mighty" Casey continued to grow in his third season as the Boston Red Stockings first baseman. Casey's .302 average was slightly down from his .304 in 1879, but the league average was down twenty-one points, so it would seem an improvement was made by The Mighty Casey.

Tommy Bernard saw his doubles output drop from 18 to 6, and his average dip from .324 to .300, but most would admit that the young keystone player's game was still improving.

"Black Jack" McKinley had some trouble adjusting to the increased use of breaking stuff by opposing pitchers. His average dropped from .312 to .267 but he did not take his troubles into the field where was acknowledged as the League's top right fielder. Consensus opinion is that Black Jack will learn to deal with curveballs and become a fearsome hitter once again.

Catcher Shane "Heckuva" Day signed on with the new Worcester club and earned himself the starting job behind home plate. But at just 20 years of age, Day may not have been ready for everyday work. His average was a mere .229 and he was rumored to have developed a contentious relationship with first baseman/manager Glenn Felty, leaving his future in Worcester in doubt.

[legendsport]

FINAL STANDINGS:

National League Standings :
Name              W  L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA
Providence       55  29 .655    --  .296  3.00 
Buffalo          49  34 .590   5.5  .273  3.15 
Chicago          44  40 .524    11  .268  3.06 
Boston           43  40 .518  11.5  .269  3.23 
Cleveland        39  45 .464    16  .241  3.01 
Worcester        38  44 .463    16  .256  3.69 
Detroit          38  46 .452    17  .245  3.11 
Troy             28  56 .333    27  .223  4.01

RECAP:
For the first time in four seasons, the National League had a new championship club as the Boston Red Stockings struggled after the departure of ace pitcher Rich Deem. The Bostonians "collapsed" to a 43-40 record, leaving them twelve victories shy of the total amassed by the new League champio